Lottery winner wears mask to hide identity

A Jamaican lottery winner couldn’t stop smiling and winking as she was handed an oversized cheque for the equivalent of $1.8 million Canadian. Actually, it was her emoji mask that conveyed the expression.

The woman, publicly identified as N. Gray, stirred up a flurry of online comments after she arrived at a press conference to collect her winnings wearing the bright yellow winking-face mask.

“The mask this person wore tells me N. Gray is going to be A. Okay as a millionaire,” Theresa S tweeted on Friday.

There was speculation too, about why Gray was going to such lengths to maintain her privacy, and if her curly hair was actually a wig to further conceal her identity. Kingston-based gaming and lottery company Supreme Ventures Limited wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday, that Gray’s attire was decided by vote.

“Our #SuperLotto winner arrived to collect her cheque decked in her African garb and the mask you voted for! So, how does she look?” the company wrote.

The Jamaican Observer website reported that Gray won the Super Lotto’s May 11 prize, and plans to enjoy a cruise around the Caribbean, pay off debt and invest the rest of the money.

Supreme Ventures Limited fielded online questions about why winners need to claim their prize at a press conference where they can be identified.